Philippines now aiming to secure 202 million vaccine doses —Galvez

From an initial target of 148 million, the Philippines is now aiming to acquire 202 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Thursday.

At a televised briefing—during which President Rodrigo Duterte announced that the NCR Plus bubble of Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal and Laguna would be placed under general community quarantine with "heightened restrictions" from May 15 to 31—Galvez said that the country now aims to purchase 158 million doses and receive another 44 million doses from the global vaccine-sharing facility COVAX.

Galvez said that this is due to increased global vaccine production; the World Health Organization and the COVAX facility's honoring their commitments; rich countries sharing their excess vaccines; and the government's negotiations with manufacturers going well.

"Dahil nakuha natin mababa yung presyo, ngayon po ang makukuha natin ay 202 million doses," he said.

[Because we were able to get a lower price, we will now be able to secure 202 million doses.]

Among these will be 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, for which the Philippines and Pfizer are about to sign a head of terms, Galvez said. 

May procurement

Galvez said that the country expects to increase its vaccine inventory substantially in the second quarter.  

"Dati po, in the first quarter, the vaccines were coming in trickles. Ngayon po, they're coming in millions," he said.

From the Philippines receiving just four million vaccine doses in total for the period from February to April, it has now already received 3,753,450 doses in May so far.

This consists of:

• 30,000 Sputnik V doses from Russian manufacturer Gamaleya Institute
• 1,500,000 Sinovac doses purchased by the government
• 2 million AstraZeneca doses from the COVAX facility
• 193,050 Pfizer-BioNTech doses from the COVAX facility

It is expecting to receive 7,753,450 doses in total this month. 

This includes 2.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from COVAX—almost double the amount the Philippines was initially set to receive for this month.

"Supposed to be 1.2 million lang ang makukuha natin na Pfizer, pero nagtanong sila, 'Kaya ninyo bang i-administer yung 2.2 million ngayong May?' Sinabi po namin, 'Kayang-kaya naming itanggap, so yung Pfizer makukuha natin yung 2.2 million this May, sa COVAX," Galvez said.

[We were supposed to receive only 1.2 million Pfizer doses, but they asked, 'Would you be able to administer 2.2 million doses this May?' We replied that we are able to do so, so we will be getting 2.2 million Pfizer shots this May from COVAX instead.]

The country is also expecting 500,000 more Sinovac doses on May 20 as well as 1.3 million more Sputnik V doses, including 300,000 arriving next week.

June procurement

The government is also expecting to receive 10.05 million vaccine doses in June.

This consists of:

• 2 million AstraZeneca doses to go to LGUs to be administered as a second dose
• 1.3 million AstraZeneca doses for the private sector
• the first shipment of Moderna vaccines to the country, consisting of 250,000 doses
• 4.5 million Sinovac doses, including 500,000 for the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII)
• 2 million Sputnik V doses

"Ang magiging inventory natin by the end of June ay 21,829,050," Galvez said.

[Our vaccine inventory by the end of June will be 21,829,050 doses.]

The Philippines currently has 1,124,724 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 18,821 deaths. — BM, GMA News